Even today it resonates with liberals â€“Â The Atlantic casually mentions it as the reason America abandoned mass transit,Â The Nation wrote a whole article about it a few years ago,Â Fast Food Nation discusses it, and in the last week Iâ€™ve seenÂ tworeferences to the theory in the planning blogosphere.

Now, this essay still isn’t the “end all, be all” chronology of transportation evolution history in the United States.

The new(ish) streetcar in Portland, Oregon.

Do you know of a book or article where the writer summarily presents concrete evidence? The essay does cite four academic sources, so it’s the best explanation of the so-called conspiracy I’ve ever read.

I’m bringing this up thanks to Edward Russell, who posted it, and my sister, who mentioned it to me after a friend told her about the story.